[Advaita-l] Selections from the Shiva-mahimna-stotram - 1

[Jaldhar H. Vyas]

On Tue, 8 Jun 2010, V Subrahmanian wrote:

> The legend has some basis since the name of the author is mentioned in verse
> number 38 of the stotraM .

Swami Madhusudan Sarasvati has written a tika on the shivamahimnastotra. 
It is interesting that he considers only verses 1 - 31 to be the genuine 
composition of Pushpadanta.  He does not comment on 32 - 35 but in the 
commentary on 36 he says 32 - 36 are ok because they are "traditional" 
(ime shlokAH stotrAntargatAH sugamashcheti sarvaM bhadram |) and his tika 
stops there taking no notice of the several other verses we find in our 
modern editions of the stotra.  However despite ignoring verse 38, he does 
believe in the story of Pushpadanta you recounted above and mentions it in 
essentially the same details in the introduction to his tika.

> The different practices based on the three Vedas, SaMkhya, Yoga,
> Pashupata-mata, VaishhNava-mata etc . are but different paths (to reach to
> the Greatest Truth) and people on account of their different aptitude choose
> from them whatever they think best and deserved to be accepted . But as the
> sea is the final resting place for all types of streams , You are the only
> reaching place  for all people whichever path,straight or zigzag, they may
> accept .

Swami Madhusudan Saraswati was an ardent Krishna bhakta yet he wrote this 
tika because as an Advaitin he could see no difference between Shiva and 
Vishnu.

-- 
Jaldhar H. Vyas <jaldhar at braincells.com>